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Get Packing!

15 Most pioneers used oxen to pull their wagons. At the end of the journey,
oxen could be used to plow fields. They were strong enough to pull 2,000
pounds (907 kilograms)!

16 A wagon carried everything a pioneer needed to begin a new life.
Pioneers usually took equipment to repair the wagon, farm tools, seeds
for planting, and personal items such as shoes and blankets. They also
brought food such as flour, bacon, coffee, and rice. There were no grocery
stores if they forgot something! Trading posts along the way sold some

food and other items, but everything was expensive and often sold out.
17 Families often packed too much. Then they had to lighten their loads
along the trail so the oxen wouldn’t get worn out with too much weight.
Without oxen, pioneers would have to carry their belongings! Furniture,
like trunks and beds, was the first thing to be left behind. One pioneer
woman left her apron and three pieces of bacon! Eventually there was so
much garbage along the trails that people didn’t need a guide or a map to
find their way.

18 Unless someone was sick or the weather was bad, people walked
beside their wagons. This was mainly to save the space in the wagon for
food and to make the load lighter for the oxen. Also, the wagons were

bouncy and uncomfortable. The good thing about the bouncing was that
pioneers used the motion to churn butter!

Then and Now

THEN: Pioneer families spent $500–$1,000 on
supplies for their long, western journey.

NOW: People pay about $400 to fly from the East
Coast to the West Coast. They get there in six hours.

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